Restless
by Havoka
Summary: Carley hears something prowling around the Inn one night, and goes to investigate. (Carley & Lilly friendshipping fic. Contains some coarse language).


Restless

A stirring noise outside Carley's bedroom roused her with a start. She held her breath, listening carefully. Something was inside the Motor Inn. Something was in there, with them.

She reached for the glock on her nightstand, fumbling in the pitch-blackness. The sound was closer now. She could see something moving outside her window. _Shit, what is that?_

Finally, her hand came to rest on the familiar metal of her gun. She slipped soundlessly out of her bed, inching toward the door. Her weapon was held at the ready. She pushed the door open as quietly as she could, the muzzle of her glock poking through the crack in the doorway. The noise persisted, and she feared it must have been a walker.

As she stepped outside, she noticed the moonlit silhouette of the shuffling creature. It seemed to pay her no mind. It was simply wandering about, no goal or destination apparent.

Carley knew killing it with a gun would be foolish. In the quiet of night, it would draw every walker in the forest to them. She had to get closer to it. Then she could take it out some other way.

As she drew nearer to the creature, its outline became clearly visible. It came to lean on the wooden fence, staring out into the distant woods. Its pose was disturbingly human, unlike what she'd seen in other walkers. Its elbows rested on the fence posts, its hands weakly gripping the tips of the sharp wood. Carley whistled to get its attention. It didn't respond to the noise.

"_Hey._" Carley whispered, grabbing a baseball bat off the pavement. "Are you a walker or what?" The thing seemed too out of character. Too unlike the monsters she'd become accustomed to dealing with on a daily basis.

The creature turned to her as she moved closer. In the soft starlight, Carley was able to make out the figure in clear detail. "...Lilly?" Her jaw dropped. The haggard woman stared silently at her, her expression vacant and empty. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She wasn't acting like a walker – Carley's noises hadn't drawn her attention and she wasn't limping or snarling. Rather, she seemed entranced, not quite focused on anything around her. "Lilly?"

Lilly moved away from the fence and walked right past her, heading nowhere in particular. Indignant, Carley followed after her. "All right, if you're not a walker, then you're just ignoring me?" She grabbed onto the woman's arm. "Lilly!"

Lilly's gaze remained glassy and unfocused. Carley tugged on her sleeve. "Hey, _look at me._" She whispered harshly. "What's the matter with you?"

Lilly mumbled something incoherent, pulling feebly away. Carley frowned, trying to understand – and then the realization struck her. "Wait a minute." She maintained a firm hold on the woman. "You're _sleepwalking_, aren't you?"

Lilly pulled away, more fervently this time. "Stop...I gotta..."

Concern marred Carley's features. "What?"

Lilly stumbled over a crack in the pavement. Carley quickly caught her, helping back to her feet. "I gotta check on my Mom." Lilly murmured, still struggling to get away.

Carley's eyes filled with sadness. "Oh, Lilly." She knew the leader held a great deal of pain inside her. Seeing it come out like this, so raw, so exposed, made her feel terrible. "We need to get you back to bed."

"No!" Lilly cried, surprisingly hostile. "I need to...to..." She staggered, tripping over her own feet. Carley held tight to her, keeping her steady.

"Your mother's all right." Carley said quietly, feeling terrible about having to lie to her. "Now come on, let's go back to bed."

Still clutching onto the other woman for balance, Lilly hesitated. "...She's really okay?"

Carley swallowed hard. "Yeah." She took Lilly's hand in hers, tugging her gently in the direction of her room. "So come on, Lil. Please."

Lilly glazed eyes drifted downward. "Okay."

Carley led her back to her bedroom, moving slowly and carefully. Lilly willingly followed, like a child. _It's not good that she's sleepwalking out here. She could've wandered out past the fence and been eaten. It's so dangerous._

Lilly continued to mumble things that made no sense to Carley. Seemingly random phrases, some regarding her leadership role, others referring to parts of her former life Carley had no knowledge of. Still feeling guilty about the lie, she squeezed Lilly's hand tenderly, trying to keep her from feeling frightened or sad.

When they reached Lilly's room, Carley pushed the door open slowly and quietly. "Okay, just a little farther."

Lilly turned her head, settling her gaze on Carley once more. "Can we go tomorrow?" She asked, sounding hopeful.

Carley raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Go where?"

Rolled eyes and a frustrated sigh came as Lilly's response.

"Well, jeez, I'm sorry I don't know what you're talking about, sleepyhead." Carley guided her to her bed, nudging her to crawl into it. She pulled the dingy comforter over the woman, covering her up as best she could. "Now go to sleep. And stay in your damn bed." As an afterthought, she decided she would leave a lawn chair blocking Lilly's door on the way out. Lilly would be pissed in the morning, but at least she'd be alive to _be_ pissed. "Night, Lilly."

Lilly closed her eyes, turning over. She yanked the blanket over her head, offering no gratitude or words of appreciation. Carley shook her head, trying not to laugh. "You're such a brat." The other woman's childish ways brought a tiny chuckle to her lips as she turned away. _She's probably mad I didn't tuck her in and kiss her fucking forehead._

The door closed silently as Carley slipped back out of the room. The sound of a chair dragging echoed faintly as it was propped against the leader's door, sealing her sleepwalking self in.


End file.
